Anything's Better Than Army Food
by PirateJenna
Summary: Shawn has never been super close with his cousin. But after Eliot delivers some harsh news, he realizes they may have been closer than he thought. Oneshot


**So, first off, sorry about not having updated Runaway recently. I have no excuse other than I am the world's worst procrastinator. I had already started this one, and I really wanted to finish it. So, background! In my Psych/Leverage universe Eliot and Shawn are cousins. They weren't super close as kids, but they have gotten closer. Eliot is eighteen, and Shawn is sixteen.**

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As Shawn walked up the driveway, he felt like something was off. There was another car parked in the driveway, one he didn't recognize. As he walked, the smell of fish assaulted him, but that wasn't necessarily suspicious. It wasn't until he got a glimpse of the kitchen, specifically the two drinks on the table, the bag by the wall, and the jacket draped over the chair, that Shawn knew for certain something was off. And he knew what it was. Shawn turned around and started to leave.

"Shawn! Hey, where are you going."

Shawn started to freeze in the doorway, but he decided to ignore his dad. Unfortunately, he paused just long enough for his exit to be blocked.

"Hey, Shawn. You missed out on fishing."

Shawn sighed, "Hey, Eliot. When did you get into town?" Shawn laughed nervously.

Eliot smiled, "Thanks. I always enjoy your welcome." He pushed past Shawn and scooped up the drink off the kitchen table.

Shawn turned back around and followed Eliot into the kitchen, "Seriously man, you came into town, just today, and all you did was go fishing?"

Eliot glanced around the room. He was fairly familiar with Shawn's abilities, but Shawn still managed to surprise him sometimes with the things he could figure out. He grinned and tipped his glass towards Shawn, "Alright, that was pretty good."

Shawn grinned cockily, "Thanks, I-" Shawn stopped when he saw his dad. Henry didn't seem at all impressed. "You know what, never mind. Look, I've got to go work on my bike." He headed towards the garage.

Eliot stood up, "Hey, I'll give you a hand."

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Eliot and Shawn sat on the floor of the garage. Shawn worked on the bike while Eliot gave him help if he needed it, which he really didn't. Shawn wasn't super close with his cousin, that's why he had tried to duck out. Still, he wasn't entirely opposed to talking with him. Plus, something told Shawn that Eliot had a something he wanted to talk about. Shawn gave Eliot a sideways glance, "So, did you really come all this way just to fish?"

Eliot gave a soft chuckle, "Can't pull one over on you, Shawn." He let out a long sigh; his face took on a long look, "I came to, well, to say goodbye."

Shawn jerked his head up, banging it on his bike, "Dang it!" He gripped the back of his head.

Eliot cocked an eyebrow, "It can't have surprised you that much."

Shawn shook his head, trying to shake away the pain, "It didn't."

Eliot laughed.

Shawn glared at him, "What do you mean you're saying goodbye?"

Eliot sighed, "I'm enlisting in the army. Tomorrow."

"What?! I thought you were going to run your dad's store."

Eliot pushed his hand through his hair, "Yeah well, not anymore."

Shawn looked over his cousin. He knew that Eliot didn't always see eye to eye with his dad. Of course, Shawn had never really noticed it because his own relationship with his dad was so much worse. But looking back on his last visit with Eliot and his dad, he realized that they had been fairly tense. Eliot had always been interested in traveling and helping people, not hanging around home for long. But the army?

Eliot gave Shawn a weak smile, "I'm sorry to spring that on you. I just wanted you to know before I left. I don't know when I'll see you again, if-"

"It's fine. I get it," Shawn cut Eliot off, not wanting to hear the rest of that thought, "You want to get out." Shawn glanced towards the garage door, "I have the same feeling."

Eliot followed his gaze. He opened his mouth and closed, like he was going to say something, but decided against it. He turned back to Shawn, "You better not get yourself into trouble," he smirked, "I won't be around to get you out of it."

Shawn grinned and turned back to his bike, "Yeah well, I guess you'll just have to find someway to get me off the hook when you do get back." Eliot chuckled softly.

Shawn ducked so the bike was between him and Eliot. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, trying to brush off his feelings, but he couldn't. Eliot was leaving. Hadn't he just thought to himself that he and Eliot weren't close? Still, other than Gus, Eliot was the only person Shawn felt like he could really talk to. If he and Gus were fighting, Shawn would call Eliot, when he could. And now, he wouldn't be able to; Eliot wouldn't be there. Despite the fact that Shawn was trying to push it to the back of his mind, he couldn't help but consider the possibility that Eliot would never come back. Shawn had always hated the thought of death. He knew it wasn't a guarantee that Eliot would die. But he felt pretty certain that Eliot wouldn't come back the same. He knew some people did. Probably a lot of people did. But not Eliot. Eliot wouldn't. He just knew. He had a feeling, and his feelings were usually right. Even if Eliot did make it home, he wouldn't be the same person. This was the last time Shawn would see Eliot, the real Eliot. So, he would make the best of it.

Putting down his tools, Shawn stood up, "Hey, you wanna go grab something to eat your last night in the States?"

Eliot sighed, shaking his head as he stood up, "You know that I may stay in the States for a while, right?"

Shawn shrugged, "Still, this may be your last chance to have greasy, sugary food. After this, it's all army food."

"What the heck is army food?"

Shawn smiled as he and Eliot climbed into Eliot's car, "I don't now. But it sounds terrible."

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**I used Eliot's explanation of his relationship with his dad from The Low Low Price Job. I hope you enjoyed it. I know it was short, but please leave a review and tell me what you think and how I can improve. Thanks for reading.**


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